Returning Evil Part 5
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).
"Do we have everything that we'll need?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes," Mortanos responded gravely. "Where I'm taking you will require all my strength, and an item I had to grab. Now that I have both, we're ready.
"Then let's go," Paige said.
"Good luck, my darlings." Grams said, "It's time for me to go back."
Both sisters hugged Grams, and then they turned to Mortanos. "Whenever you're ready."
Seconds after they orbed out, Gabriel and Melinda appeared. They both had a look on their face that made Gram's heart constrict. "What's wrong?"
They looked at each other, and tears began to go down Melinda's face. Gabriel swallowed, and then said solemnly, "We have a problem."
***
The sisters, Michael and Mortanos appeared in the center of Stonehenge.
"Wait, the sword is HERE!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Quiet, I have to concentrate," Mortanos replied. He walked forward and put his hand on what appeared to be a random stone pillar. A few seconds later, the pillar pulsed three times, as if it acknowledged Mortanos. As the sisters watched, the stone slid backwards a few feet, and revealed an opening underneath. Mortanos looked at it few a few moments, and then said, "Alright, let's go in. Touch nothing."
The group walked over to the opening, and found a set of stairs. As Mortanos took the lead and began to walk down the stairs, the rest of the group followed behind. Despite the apparent age of the place, the stairs were in excellent condition. They were well-worn, but they looked as if they had been cleaned only yesterday.
"What is this place?" Paige asked quietly. "Who else lives here?"
"No one," Mortanos responded, "The place is kept clean by magic, that's all."
"So, how did Leba wind up down here?" Piper asked.
"A few centuries ago, the sword wound up being used for something.bad," Mortanos said. "So, I took it and placed it here, where it would be safe until it was needed again. Unfortunately, I never thought it would be needed so soon, or so desperately."
The group walked down for about ten minutes, and then they came to a door. Mortanos walked forward and placed his hand on the door. It flashed for a second, and then it faded as if it had never been there. "Why does this place recognize you?" Paige asked.
"Because I was important to its construction," Mortanos replied tersely.
Inside the chamber was a hollow circular room. A sword was stuck into the ground about five feet in, and the only other things here were two wooden markers spaced 5 feet apart in the center of the room.
"Do we need to do anything special to get the sword out?" Michael asked, but Mortanos didn't say anything. He simply walked forward and stood in front of the two markers. Phoebe approached the sword gingerly and cautiously grabbed it. When nothing happened, she slowly pulled it out. The sword came out of the ground noiselessly and Phoebe could feel the power within it.
"I got it, let's go," Phoebe said, but Mortanos continued to stare at the markings. The sisters and Michael approached, and saw to their astonishment that tears were coursing down Mortanos's cheeks. They looked down, and couldn't understand. Their appeared to be some sort of words on the two wooden markers, but none of them could understand it.
"What does it say?" Paige asked gently.
"It says 'Eve' and 'Abel'," a new voice said. The sisters whirled to find Kain standing in the doorway. Mortanos whirled and glared at Kain. "We can continue our battle if you want, but not here. You know that."
"What, can't I come to mourn?" Kain said mockingly. "After all, they were my family too, father."
As the sisters whirled to stare at Mortanos in shock, Kain continued, "You never told them, did you Adam? I much prefer that name to the one your God gave you after he made you Guardian of Death. Why did he do that anyway?"
"You know as well as I do why," Mortanos replied. "If I had not stepped in and begged God to spare you, you would be gone forever. This is my curse, and my punishment for letting evil escape. I can never die, and can only rest when all the evil YOU created is stopped. You are my responsibility, and I always hoped you would never return."
"Wait, Mortanos, you're THE Adam?" Paige asked.
Kain smiled, and said, "Quick on the uptake, isn't she Father?"
"Don't ever call me that," Mortanos snarled, "I am not your father any longer."
"Of course you aren't," Kain responded, "I have moved so far beyond such petty notions as Family and Humanity that I have no father. However, I will wait until you leave this place before we battle. I would not want to disrupt the rest of these poor souls," Kain continued mockingly. He turned to leave, but stopped when he saw Phoebe. He smiled, and said, "Oh, by the way, your sister and her husband are waiting above for you. They have something to tell you." He then faded out.
"Piper," Paige and Phoebe said at the same time, and then they were running up the stairs. "No wait!" Mortanos shouted, and then he and Michael followed after them.
***
When Phoebe and Paige reached the top, they saw Piper and Leo standing in the center of Stonehenge, waiting. They both smiled when they saw Phoebe and Paige, and Piper said, "Hello, sisters. I have something great to tell you."
Both sisters sighed, and they started to approach. "Thank God, he didn't get you." Paige said.
"My sisters," Piper began, "I have seen the light, and I know how to make the world better." She and Leo stepped closer, and the sisters gasped when they saw the black veins coursing along her body.
"Oh, no." Phoebe said brokenly. Piper kept coming, and held out her hand. "Come, JOIN us. Together we can bring peace and good to the entire world, and finally destroy all of evil. We can be a family forever, with no death and no pain. I have heard the Word, and that Word is Master."
"You're wrong Mom," A new voice said, and Melinda and Gabriel appeared. Kain smiled, and said, "Well, if it isn't the Guardian of Life. Now the stage is complete."
"Phoebe, use the SWORD!" Mortanos shouted. Phoebe swung at Kain, and the sword erupted in fiery light. The blade slammed into Kain, causing him to fall back. Or rather, Kain held his ground and his feet made grooves in the ground from absorbing the force. Kain's smile widened, and he said, "Well, well. That is interesting.I haven't seen that blade for a long time. I can see it hasn't lost any of its potency."
"Get ready to die!" Phoebe said as she leveled the blade at Kain.
"What, you planning on using it against me? Don't waste you time," Kain mocked. "The blade strengthens the user, but you are too far below me to catch up." Without warning, the blade flew out of Phoebe's hands. She gasped, and Kain looked startled. The blade landed in the open hand of Gabriel, who said in a flat voice, "Maybe she isn't, but I am. I may be Life, but the gloves are off now." He held the blade out towards Kain, and Phoebe felt a deep fear inside of her. She instinctively turned her head just as a burst of bright light erupted from it. She felt he heat and power even from this distance.
When the light faded, Phoebe and Paige looked back, and their mouths fell open. Where there once was ground, a charred hole existed. Kain was several hundred yards farther away, and on the ground. Gabriel was down on one knee, and was panting heavily. "I..I don't believe it." Phoebe whispered.
Suddenly, Kain jumped back up. He wiped his hand across his mouth, and the sisters saw in shock that only dirt was there. Kain wasn't even bleeding. As a look of disbelief came over Gabriel, Kain smiled. "VERY impressive. I had no idea you were so powerful," he then made a mocking frown as he continued, "I just wish you had mentioned that the gloves were off. Since they are." Kain thrust his hands straight up, and a tornado or pure power appeared on the spot. The winds buffeted the group, and they could feel the raw power behind it. When it ended, Kain pointed his fingers at Gabriel. Five tentacles shot out of them, and headed with unerring accuracy for Gabriel.
"NO!" Phoebe shouted, but she was too far away to react. Just before they would have hit Gabriel, Mortanos appeared in front of them. They all pierced him, and Mortanos fell to the ground. The sisters saw his mouth move, but couldn't hear what he said. They watched as Gabriel's face paled, and then he nodded. Mortanos smiled, and then he shouted, "Insidius Vldar". He then fell forward.
"Well, that was unexpected," Kain murmured. He then said, "Oh, well," and pointed again. Before he could react, Melinda grabbed Gabriel. They both orbed out. Kain frowned, and said, "Well, I guess I'll just redirect them." He swung his hand around, and pointed them at Paige, Michael, and Phoebe, who was several yards away from both Michael and Paige.
Paige took a step back in fear and asked, "What are we going to do now? I could never orb out in time."
"Michael, grab her hand," Phoebe shouted tersely. Puzzled, Michael did so.
"What good is that going to do?" Michael asked.
As the orbs shot towards them, Phoebe looked at them and said, "This. AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Paige stepped back in shock and instinctively orbed. As both of them orbed out, Phoebe smiled and said, "Fear response." As the tentacles slammed into her, she said, "I love you son."
As Phoebe and Mortanos bowed to Kain, he looked towards Heaven, and said softly, "And then there was one."
TO BE CONTINUED.
(Hey, I apologize for the delay in getting my next part up, but unfortunately fanfiction was down for a couple of days, read only and all that, so I couldn't post. Also, I know Kain is supposed to be spelled "Caine". I did it on purpose to try and keep out a few copyrights. Adam and Eve, and even Abel, are both semi-popular names, but Caine hasn't been used in a while. Anyway, just thought I'd explain my logic.)
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).
"Do we have everything that we'll need?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes," Mortanos responded gravely. "Where I'm taking you will require all my strength, and an item I had to grab. Now that I have both, we're ready.
"Then let's go," Paige said.
"Good luck, my darlings." Grams said, "It's time for me to go back."
Both sisters hugged Grams, and then they turned to Mortanos. "Whenever you're ready."
Seconds after they orbed out, Gabriel and Melinda appeared. They both had a look on their face that made Gram's heart constrict. "What's wrong?"
They looked at each other, and tears began to go down Melinda's face. Gabriel swallowed, and then said solemnly, "We have a problem."
***
The sisters, Michael and Mortanos appeared in the center of Stonehenge.
"Wait, the sword is HERE!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Quiet, I have to concentrate," Mortanos replied. He walked forward and put his hand on what appeared to be a random stone pillar. A few seconds later, the pillar pulsed three times, as if it acknowledged Mortanos. As the sisters watched, the stone slid backwards a few feet, and revealed an opening underneath. Mortanos looked at it few a few moments, and then said, "Alright, let's go in. Touch nothing."
The group walked over to the opening, and found a set of stairs. As Mortanos took the lead and began to walk down the stairs, the rest of the group followed behind. Despite the apparent age of the place, the stairs were in excellent condition. They were well-worn, but they looked as if they had been cleaned only yesterday.
"What is this place?" Paige asked quietly. "Who else lives here?"
"No one," Mortanos responded, "The place is kept clean by magic, that's all."
"So, how did Leba wind up down here?" Piper asked.
"A few centuries ago, the sword wound up being used for something.bad," Mortanos said. "So, I took it and placed it here, where it would be safe until it was needed again. Unfortunately, I never thought it would be needed so soon, or so desperately."
The group walked down for about ten minutes, and then they came to a door. Mortanos walked forward and placed his hand on the door. It flashed for a second, and then it faded as if it had never been there. "Why does this place recognize you?" Paige asked.
"Because I was important to its construction," Mortanos replied tersely.
Inside the chamber was a hollow circular room. A sword was stuck into the ground about five feet in, and the only other things here were two wooden markers spaced 5 feet apart in the center of the room.
"Do we need to do anything special to get the sword out?" Michael asked, but Mortanos didn't say anything. He simply walked forward and stood in front of the two markers. Phoebe approached the sword gingerly and cautiously grabbed it. When nothing happened, she slowly pulled it out. The sword came out of the ground noiselessly and Phoebe could feel the power within it.
"I got it, let's go," Phoebe said, but Mortanos continued to stare at the markings. The sisters and Michael approached, and saw to their astonishment that tears were coursing down Mortanos's cheeks. They looked down, and couldn't understand. Their appeared to be some sort of words on the two wooden markers, but none of them could understand it.
"What does it say?" Paige asked gently.
"It says 'Eve' and 'Abel'," a new voice said. The sisters whirled to find Kain standing in the doorway. Mortanos whirled and glared at Kain. "We can continue our battle if you want, but not here. You know that."
"What, can't I come to mourn?" Kain said mockingly. "After all, they were my family too, father."
As the sisters whirled to stare at Mortanos in shock, Kain continued, "You never told them, did you Adam? I much prefer that name to the one your God gave you after he made you Guardian of Death. Why did he do that anyway?"
"You know as well as I do why," Mortanos replied. "If I had not stepped in and begged God to spare you, you would be gone forever. This is my curse, and my punishment for letting evil escape. I can never die, and can only rest when all the evil YOU created is stopped. You are my responsibility, and I always hoped you would never return."
"Wait, Mortanos, you're THE Adam?" Paige asked.
Kain smiled, and said, "Quick on the uptake, isn't she Father?"
"Don't ever call me that," Mortanos snarled, "I am not your father any longer."
"Of course you aren't," Kain responded, "I have moved so far beyond such petty notions as Family and Humanity that I have no father. However, I will wait until you leave this place before we battle. I would not want to disrupt the rest of these poor souls," Kain continued mockingly. He turned to leave, but stopped when he saw Phoebe. He smiled, and said, "Oh, by the way, your sister and her husband are waiting above for you. They have something to tell you." He then faded out.
"Piper," Paige and Phoebe said at the same time, and then they were running up the stairs. "No wait!" Mortanos shouted, and then he and Michael followed after them.
***
When Phoebe and Paige reached the top, they saw Piper and Leo standing in the center of Stonehenge, waiting. They both smiled when they saw Phoebe and Paige, and Piper said, "Hello, sisters. I have something great to tell you."
Both sisters sighed, and they started to approach. "Thank God, he didn't get you." Paige said.
"My sisters," Piper began, "I have seen the light, and I know how to make the world better." She and Leo stepped closer, and the sisters gasped when they saw the black veins coursing along her body.
"Oh, no." Phoebe said brokenly. Piper kept coming, and held out her hand. "Come, JOIN us. Together we can bring peace and good to the entire world, and finally destroy all of evil. We can be a family forever, with no death and no pain. I have heard the Word, and that Word is Master."
"You're wrong Mom," A new voice said, and Melinda and Gabriel appeared. Kain smiled, and said, "Well, if it isn't the Guardian of Life. Now the stage is complete."
"Phoebe, use the SWORD!" Mortanos shouted. Phoebe swung at Kain, and the sword erupted in fiery light. The blade slammed into Kain, causing him to fall back. Or rather, Kain held his ground and his feet made grooves in the ground from absorbing the force. Kain's smile widened, and he said, "Well, well. That is interesting.I haven't seen that blade for a long time. I can see it hasn't lost any of its potency."
"Get ready to die!" Phoebe said as she leveled the blade at Kain.
"What, you planning on using it against me? Don't waste you time," Kain mocked. "The blade strengthens the user, but you are too far below me to catch up." Without warning, the blade flew out of Phoebe's hands. She gasped, and Kain looked startled. The blade landed in the open hand of Gabriel, who said in a flat voice, "Maybe she isn't, but I am. I may be Life, but the gloves are off now." He held the blade out towards Kain, and Phoebe felt a deep fear inside of her. She instinctively turned her head just as a burst of bright light erupted from it. She felt he heat and power even from this distance.
When the light faded, Phoebe and Paige looked back, and their mouths fell open. Where there once was ground, a charred hole existed. Kain was several hundred yards farther away, and on the ground. Gabriel was down on one knee, and was panting heavily. "I..I don't believe it." Phoebe whispered.
Suddenly, Kain jumped back up. He wiped his hand across his mouth, and the sisters saw in shock that only dirt was there. Kain wasn't even bleeding. As a look of disbelief came over Gabriel, Kain smiled. "VERY impressive. I had no idea you were so powerful," he then made a mocking frown as he continued, "I just wish you had mentioned that the gloves were off. Since they are." Kain thrust his hands straight up, and a tornado or pure power appeared on the spot. The winds buffeted the group, and they could feel the raw power behind it. When it ended, Kain pointed his fingers at Gabriel. Five tentacles shot out of them, and headed with unerring accuracy for Gabriel.
"NO!" Phoebe shouted, but she was too far away to react. Just before they would have hit Gabriel, Mortanos appeared in front of them. They all pierced him, and Mortanos fell to the ground. The sisters saw his mouth move, but couldn't hear what he said. They watched as Gabriel's face paled, and then he nodded. Mortanos smiled, and then he shouted, "Insidius Vldar". He then fell forward.
"Well, that was unexpected," Kain murmured. He then said, "Oh, well," and pointed again. Before he could react, Melinda grabbed Gabriel. They both orbed out. Kain frowned, and said, "Well, I guess I'll just redirect them." He swung his hand around, and pointed them at Paige, Michael, and Phoebe, who was several yards away from both Michael and Paige.
Paige took a step back in fear and asked, "What are we going to do now? I could never orb out in time."
"Michael, grab her hand," Phoebe shouted tersely. Puzzled, Michael did so.
"What good is that going to do?" Michael asked.
As the orbs shot towards them, Phoebe looked at them and said, "This. AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Paige stepped back in shock and instinctively orbed. As both of them orbed out, Phoebe smiled and said, "Fear response." As the tentacles slammed into her, she said, "I love you son."
As Phoebe and Mortanos bowed to Kain, he looked towards Heaven, and said softly, "And then there was one."
TO BE CONTINUED.
(Hey, I apologize for the delay in getting my next part up, but unfortunately fanfiction was down for a couple of days, read only and all that, so I couldn't post. Also, I know Kain is supposed to be spelled "Caine". I did it on purpose to try and keep out a few copyrights. Adam and Eve, and even Abel, are both semi-popular names, but Caine hasn't been used in a while. Anyway, just thought I'd explain my logic.)